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Toast Them Hemp Seeds For Hempoween

10/31/2017

Toasted Hemp Seeds for Hempoween

Two hundred and fifty-two years ago today, on 31 October 1765, George Hempington celebrated the first documented Hempoween. The farmer and his slaves had harvested 152 bushel of hemp seed; after milling the seed to collect the oil, George writes of his celebratory actions in his farm journal:

“31 October: Finished sowing Wheat in Hemp Ground at Rivr. Plantn. & plowed in a good deal of shattered Hemp Seed – 27 Bushls. in all 152.”

That, my friends, is a traditional Hempoween celebration: the scattering of shattered hemp seeds on your field (or garden) as a fertilizer for the next season.

There are also many more modern ways to enjoy your hemp products this Hempoween: one that was new to me is toasted hemp seeds. I purchased the little delicacies (see picture above) at a regular grocery store in the Midwest – nothing fancy, and no special license or doctor’s note was needed.

I did leave the original bag of toasted seeds with some hippies (burners really), and I don’t expect to see the treats again; you see, they are quite yummy toasted and I know what to expect when one leaves a bag of hemp products around burners.

So toast them hemp seeds this year while you are celebrating Hempoween, and perhaps even give a shout out of remembrance to George, his wife Artha, and the slaves who made it all possible.

Here’s to a happy – and toasted – Hempoween for all!

*Next Up: Sunday 5 November and a pamphlet release, Three Liminal Dialogues on Serotonin, Mosby and Luther.

Posted by Bryan W. Brickner

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Thereat: Gus Kotka and Johnny Reb, On Our Way Not Tumid

10/29/2017

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Gus Kotka and Johnny Reb Thereat Events

VI of XIII

“About the gain Reb?”
“Yes.”
“The states weren’t sectional about Article the first.”
“Correct.”
“You said states as different as South Carolina and Vermont passed the amendment.”
“They did.”
“We the People was alive and well.”
“I hear ya Yank.”
“And then in 70 years, them two states, South Carolina and Vermont, they was at war.”
“And all the others.”
“Why didn’t people in our time see that?”
“People get sideways Gus.”
“Lost.”
“And then they create a way again.”
“Back into constitutionalism.”
“That’s the promise; it’ll be like this Gus.”
“Like what?”
“Look ahead of us.”
“Okay.”

Gus Kotka and Johnny Reb Thereat Great

“Hear that?”
“No.”
“That’s the sound of a sun rise.”
“Sunrises are great.”
“The sound of greatness is not tumid.”
“Does tumid mean bombastic?”
“It does.”
“Great is sound timelessness.”
“That’s the same sun that we witnessed in April 1861.”
“Reb?”
“Yeah.”
“We were not smart.”
“Say more.”
“We didn’t really read the Constitution.”
“Morgan would agree.”
“And for not defending We the People.”
“We let a fraction tear our We apart.”
“We were slaves to an idea Johnny.”
“Slaves to the usurpation.”

Gus Kotka and Johnny Reb Thereat Dew

“So great moments are quiet moments?”
“‘The dew falls on the grass when the night is most silent.’”
“I like the sound of that.”
“A German’s words, someone from our time.”
“Nice.”
“He also said: ‘It is the stillest words that bring on the storm. Thoughts that come on doves’ feet guide the world.’”
“So if states like South Carolina and Vermont started asking questions …”
“… The usurpers would have to give answers.”
“They couldn’t be silent, could they?”
“Not like the dew.”
“So any of the eleven states that have passed Article the first could ask?”
“Any state can ask questions Gus.”
“And asking questions is basic.”
“It is the traditional right of the free.”
“A right we should have used better, back in our day Johnny.”
“Agreed Yank.”

*Hempoween Up Next: A celebratory note on Tuesday, 31 October, Toast Them Hemp Seeds This Hempoween.

Posted by Bryan W. Brickner

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Thereat: Gus Kotka and Johnny Reb, On Our Way A Gain

10/22/2017

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Gus Kotka and Johnny Reb Thereat Steppin'

V of XIII

“Steppin’ Johnny.”
“With ya Gus.”
“On our way again.”
“With a gain.”
“Which one?”
“Clarity.”
“Regarding the paths?”
“Yes.”
“Agreed.”
“The two paths to 2020 step differently.”
“Say more.”
“One is already law.”
“Article 1 and its thirty Thousand.”
“And the other path is in the hands of individual states.”
“You talking states’ rights Reb?”

Gus Kotka and Johnny Reb Thereat States

“More like amendment rights by states.”
“So We the People have options.”
“We do.”
“To be constitutional, we can enforce the representation ratio in Article 1.”
“True.”
“And the other option, the one involving states: how would that work Johnny?”
“Complete the ratification of Article the first of the Bill of Rights.”
“How many states have ratified Article the first?”
“Eleven.”
“Indiana?”
“No.”
“Virginia?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know the other states that have already ratified Article the first?”
“Sure.”
“Which ones Johnny?”

Gus Kotka and Johnny Reb Thereat Fulcrums

“New Jersey, Maryland, North Carolina and South Carolina.”
“Okay.”
“Then New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.”
“That makes eight.”
“Then Vermont, Virginia and Kentucky.”
“Eleven.”
“Of the original 13, only Delaware voted no on Article the first: Massachusetts, Georgia and Connecticut never voted.”
“That’s interesting.”
“What are you thinking Gus?”
“About fulcrums.”
“Fulcrum states?”
“Yes: fulcrum states shift the weight.”
“Good point Gus: by ratifying Article the first, those eleven states reveal evidence of the representation usurpation.”
“Otherwise why did they vote for the amendment Johnny?”
“Exactly.”
“So We the People have eleven state allies against the usurpation.”
“We do.”
“That is a gain Reb.”
“Yes it is Yank.”

*Next Up: Sunday 29 October and Thereat part VI, Gus Kotka and Johnny Reb On Our Way Not Tumid.

Posted by Bryan W. Brickner

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Thereat: Gus Kotka and Johnny Reb, On Our Way Problems

10/8/2017

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Johnny Reb and Gus Kotka Thereat Leadership

IV of XIII

“… Leadership I suppose Gus.”
“Always a problem.”
“Yes.”
“Why is leadership the problem for We the People now Johnny?”
“A new amendment to the Constitution by 2020 seems unlikely.”
“Sure.”
“Thus We the People are shortening the time for dialogue.”
“Deliberation.”
“So We the People are quickly moving toward only two paths to 2020.”
“The Constitution’s thirty Thousand.”
“And Article the first.”
“Which would complete the Bill of Rights and amend the representation ratio to 50,000.”
“There is a leadership vacuum Gus.”
“Time solves that problem.”
“Mostly.”
“I’m thinking of which path would be best Reb? The narrow or wider one?”
“Wider was George’s wish.”
“Becuz’ 30,000 better represents We the People than 50,000.”
“It’s a ratio.”
“More We the People, not less.”
“George would agree.”

Johnny Reb and Gus Kotka Thereat Grandpas

“Where’d Cat go?”
“What Cat?”
“The Cat?”
“You say you saw a Cat Gus?”
“You know we did.”
“So Cat was a sign?”
“If in 2020 We the People are represented according to numbers, like the Constitution states, one for every thirty Thousand, then yes, Cat was a sign.”
“Done.”
“So where did Cat go Reb?”
“The Good Lord giveth …”
“… And the Good Lord taketh away.”
“We had the same grandpas.”
“I think so too.”
“Or at least they were reading the same book.”
“There was only one book Reb.”
“There are a lot more now Gus.”

Gus Kotka and Johnny Reb Thereat Learnings

“I imagine so.”
“Lots more.”
“Do we have to read them?”
“No.”
“Good.”
“Others have already done so.”
“So we can use their knowledge, their learnings?”
“Right.”
“Sounds convenient.”
“It is overwhelming.”
“How so?”
“Too much clutter Gus.”
“We the People can’t see the forest for the trees.”
“Just like that.”
“So the way forward …”
“… Is to step back.”
“Back into constitutionalism.”
“Back into constitutionalism.”
“We got this Reb.”
“Agreed Yank.”

*Next Up: Sunday 22 October and Thereat part V, Gus Kotka and Johnny Reb On Our Way A Gain.

Posted by Bryan W. Brickner

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Thereat: Gus Kotka and Johnny Reb, On Our Way Representational Solutions

10/1/2017

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Johnny Reb and Gus Kotka Thereat Cat

III of XIII

“Look, a Cat.”
“Reb?”
“What?”
“Why you cattin’ Johnny?”
“Maybe Cat’s a sign?”
“Maybe you don’t want to camp talk about Virginia.”
“Could be a sign like Snake and Turkey were.”
“Yet there’s no Morgan.”
“Maybe he’s Cat?”
“Stop with the cat Reb.”
“Cat is looking at something.”
“Yes.”
“Curious?”
“Now I am.”
“Shall we?”
“Sure.”

Johnny Reb and Gus Kotka Thereat Representational

“Paths Gus.”
“I see.”
“Appears to be three.”
“Indeed.”
“Constitutional paths.”
“The Ways of We the People.”
“Our paths to 2020 Yank and representing We the People according to our numbers, like the Constitution has been saying for 230 years.”
“How old is the representation usurpation Johnny?”
“That began on 9 April 1792, so that would be a 225 year-old usurpation.”
“So we’ve had five years of an un-usurped representation of We the People.”
“Infancy Gus.”
“Not so fancy Reb.”
“It’s Tory Crown fancy.”
“Sounds bad.”
“Tory Crown is the American anti-republic energy that didn’t want the US to be a republic.”
“Still don’t.”
“True.”
“The Confederacy wasn’t a republic, was it Johnny?”

Johnny Reb and Gus Kotka Thereat Solutions

“No, we had a Tory Crown influence.”
“The states, like Virginia, were independent states in confederation.”
“Right Gus, so the highest power was the state and not the states united.”
“Like our first government?”
“Like that.”
“What was it called again?”
“The first US government, the one before this one, was based on The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union.”
“Right.”
“It had no We the People framework Gus.”
“And it failed.”
“States had one vote regardless of how many people they had.”
“Not good.”
“Connecticut and Virginia were voting equals.”
“Odd.”
“Yet they had great differences in population.”
“Clearly a problem.”
“So the Constitutional Convention solved this problem by guaranteeing a new right: the right to one Representative for every thirty Thousand people in a state, which created the House of Representatives.”
“We the People seen as a solution.”
“And not a problem.”
“So what’s the problem now Johnny?”
“Uh …”

*Next Up: Sunday 8 October and Thereat part IV, Gus Kotka and Johnny Reb On Our Way Problems.

Posted by Bryan W. Brickner

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Toast Them Hemp Seeds For Hempoween

Thereat: Gus Kotka and Johnny Reb, On Our Way Not Tumid

Thereat: Gus Kotka and Johnny Reb, On Our Way A Gain

Thereat: Gus Kotka and Johnny Reb, On Our Way Problems

Thereat: Gus Kotka and Johnny Reb, On Our Way Representational Solutions

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